I’ve
found that most just want great results, they’re not trying to milk an
agency. But PR newbies may think that it will be easy – their
groundbreaking news will almost sell itself; or that a proactive PR firm can do
it all with minimal client input.

“Is the process of media relations getting harder? Yes, it is according to 68% of PR professionals polled for the 2019 JOTW Communications Survey. That’s up 17% from the same survey last year.”

An article in Bloomberg reported that PR workers now outnumber reporters by six to one, mostly due to vanishing newsroom jobs. Little wonder that it is harder to get media attention and results.

Show
me the Assets

Most
great programs spring from an effective agency and client collaboration; they
combine agency savvy, ideas, and relationships with client ammo. This is
particularly true for landing top tier, which is often the litmus test of
success. What is needed to get to this vaunted media segment? How can the
client help?

The
two-word answer is “PR assets.” These are the things reporters love
that drive or support a story. I list them below, for each kind of opportunity,
and shed light on agency and client roles.

Hard
News

In a busy media
landscape, breaking news is a top driver of reporter interest. When it is
your news, you own the story. But the hurdle is high, to be considered
news by major media, typically requiring scale
or name recognition and mainstream appeal: the largest deals, best-known
brands, or truly breakthrough new products.

Since
top-tier worthy announcements happen rarely, if at all, for most startups,
success means tapping other opportunities and PR assets.

Creating
News

Many
equate news with announcements, but that doesn’t have to be the case. There are
ways to create news that may or may not fit neatly in a press release. These
can include commissioning research, surveys, even PR stunts.

Does
your business spawn data that can be mined for newsworthy info about trends, or
consumer or business behavior? If so, this could drive a pitch that
lands.

The
agency can suggest these kinds of ideas, but the client needs to be on board to
make them work.

Newsjacking

Even
if you can’t own a story, there are ways to get mentioned, e.g. through
newsjacking. This means riding related breaking news, typically by
offering execs as a source of color commentary or analysis.

When opportunistic
news hits, it can be a feeding frenzy, with many trying to jack the same story.
So, it is important to be fast and offer a unique and compelling POV.
Boilerplate statements, along the lines of “We have a cybersecurity
expert who can comment,” won’t cut it.

The
client can help with a quick and incisive response that the agency can shop
around, based on the client’s savvy and front row view of the technology and
industry.

Features

It seems that there
are fewer opportunities to drive or otherwise participate in features: the
longer non-news stories that focus on trends and topics. Still, they’re
worth pursuing if you have a great angle and the all-important PR assets:

Hard data that support the story

Company spokespeople who are prepped and media-genic

Third-party spokespeople (customers, industry analysts)

B-roll footage (for broadcast top-tier)

Company
Culture, Startup Stories, Exec Profiles

Ultimately, great
stories drive PR and journalism. But it is too easy for founders and
their teams to drink the Kool-Aid about their own. There’s no shortage of
things to write about and most media don’t care about your news or your
stories, as noted above.

It takes a solid
understanding of the publication, the type of feature, and the reporter – as
well as the source material – to craft a topic that has a fighting chance.

Here, the PR team can guide you. Great ones have the instincts of a journalist and the nose for a story. E.g., there are opportunities in many publications to highlight startups and profile executives.

PR should interview
the execs to dig for story gold. The client can help by sharing the very best
stuff with an understanding of the high hurdle and what might sell.